How to stop cats from opening doors and cabinets
Cats can learn to open bi-fold closet doors, kitchen cabinets, the pantry, and even the refrigerator. The most common solution is to install child protective locks on your cabinets and appliances to keep them out.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Installing child protective locks on kitchen cabinets2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Using round doorknobs instead of lever handlesDid this help you?
- 3Using door stops to keep cats out of closetsDid this help you?
- 4Locking outer doorsDid this help you?
- 5Putting locks directly on the refrigeratorDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I had to put a lock on my fridge because my cat would open it”source ↗
“I have a couple of kitties that can open doors with those kind of handles. They can also open bi-fold closet doors.”source ↗
“She can open kitchen cabinet doors, which is why I have child protective locks on my kitchen cabinets even though I don't have any small children around.”source ↗
“What did you use for your fridge? I have these child locks for the cabinets. But they are learning that they might be strong enough to open the pantry door and the fridge lol.”source ↗
Where this came up
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